SATURDAY'S FOOTBALL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19957, 28 May 1928, Page 12

SATURDAY'S FOOTBALL.

THE RUGBY GAME,, PONSONBY'S USEFUL LEAD. GRAMMAR GETS A SURPRISE. JMARIST BACK TO BEST FORM. With five of the nine games played in • ihe first round of the Auckland Rugby Union's senior chmpionship, Fonsonby has the useful lead of three points—a game and a-lialf. Next on the list comes University, which team meets the leaders on Saturtiay week next. The surprise last Saturday was created by City, a side which has fehown vast improvement during the past ' three weeks. Grammar Old Boys started off as though the game was going to be jvery one-sided, but City kept pegging eway, and snatched victory from its opponents in the last spell. University maintained its reputation for playing jbright football, its game with Manukau feeing full of interest. University is now in second position on the championship list. Marist showed a return to form, while North Shore scored its first win of the season at the expense of Training (College. The game between University and Manukau provided a willing contest between the two sets of forwards,' with the backs ever ready to open up the play. Unfortunately for Manukau the passing rushes of the backs usually resulted in a substantial loss of ground, except 011 those occasions when Falwasser made some splendid individual efforts. It is a pity to see so much wasted energy on the part of the Manukau backs. The individual talent appears to be there, but the combination is extremely poor. An Erratic Player. On the other hand the work of the University backs was much more clean and Bnappy, though Stotter lost a number i.f golden opportunities by an annoying habit of holding on to the ball and dashing into a bunch of opponents. This player has football ability. He possesses the physique, handles well, and runs very determinedly. His trouble appears to be that he does not know when to get rid of the ball, and when to cut in, and his passing is very erratic. It is hard for a centre threequarter to follow him, as the former never knows when a pass is coming, or whether it is coming head high or at his feet. University will not he a powerful attacking side until this defect is remedied. The spectacular patches of play were provided by Falwasser and Macintosh, who were opposed to one another in the first spell. Both men proved how hard they are to brine down when in possession of the ball, and the crowd always looked for something out of the ordinary •when either was in possession of the ball. Falwasser played a particularly fine game, both on the wing and at five-eighth. Falwasser, Watene, and Bato (tacks), and Taylor, Golding, and Housham (forwards), were most prominent in the Manukau team,- while for University Macintosh, Minns, and N. C. Jenkin (backs), and J. Jenkin, Linton, Anderson and Black (forwards) were the most conspicuous players. A Hard-working PacK. City owed its victory over Grammar Did 'Boys chiefly to its hard-working pack, which contested every inch of ground with the solid set of forwards fielded by Grammar, It was perhaps unfortunate for the losers, that A. Knight was absent. Although he has not shown his best form this • season, it is when his side strikes adversity that he is at his best. However, Fell, Crisp and B. Fletcher on Saturday were the equals of Batty and Cathcart, while C. Fletcher, at rover, gave considerable attention to the Grammar inside backs. He managed to get away with a little off-side play, but Potter, at rover for Grammar, was just as bad an offender in tnis respect. The City backs played up close, and it was amusing to see the diminutive Crook employing spoiling tactics to such good effect. Herd, Dobson and Ifwerson all played well, while Jacobs, at fullback, saved his side on more than one occasion. The Grammar forwards put up a good fight, and in addition to Batty and Cathcart, Peacock worked solidly. Weir and Badeley made a good inside combination, but the shifting of P. Skelton from second five-eighth to centre threequarter did not pay. N. Williams, who played inside .nim, lost several opportunities. The reappearance of Loft resulted in a considerable improvement iii the play of the Marist backs against Grafton on Saturday. It was a superiority in this department, before ihe driving rain caused the game to degenerate into a forward scramble, that gave Marist the victory. The Grafton pack played sterling football • iand siome of the backs were occasionally responsible for good individual touches. But combination was lacking and this (spelled defeat. Loft Consistently Clever. Loft played a consistently clever game, 6lthoug;h ho was assisted by the weak attemptfi at tackling by most of the Grafton backs. Wright seems to be regaining his form <if last season behind the scrum. He was responsible for some brilliant work on Saturday. His ability to get up speed .quickly and dash round the side of the scrum, and the resolute manner in which he threw himself on the ball in the face of the Grafton forwards, were the features of his play in the seecond half, when accurate passing was well nigh impossible. Howard, at rover, played a fine game throughout and revelled in the heavy going. It is pitiful to see Grafton's fine pack of forwards working hard every Saturday and providing their backs with countless opportunities of which hardly any use is made. Wanoa, Finlayson and Noakes worked like Trojans on Saturday, but behind them Paewai was unable to do the work of seven men. He was the only Grafton back who defended consistently, and he was responsible for some good work on attack. Farmer showed out at Jimes, but was not reliable. L. Hook Outstanding. L. Hook was the outstanding player in the College Rifles-Ponsonby game. Playing wing-threequarter he had a hand in most of Ponsonby's scoring movements. On the opposite wing 11, Hook played a sound game and Jamieson. at centre, played well. Since attaining senior grade this player has shown great improvement. The Ponsonby ht-lf was a little slow with passes, which fact perhaps accounts for Berridge's poor display. The Ponsonby forwards did well in both the loose and set scrums. They obtained the ball in four out of every five scrums Gillespie's absence seemed to affect the College Rifles back movements, the combination being very poor. Wilson showed a tendency to hang on to the ball a moment too long. McGregor outplayed Berridge, smothering this player time and time again. The three-quarters were given few opportunities, Donald, a new arrival, showing up promisingly at times. The forwards battled valiantly against a heavier pack, Gibson, Soutar and Gallagher being prominent. Two seasons ago the encounters between North Shore and Training Coljege. then the leading teams in the senior B division, wero worth going a long way to watch Both teams have since earned promotion t'j tilt A grade, and they mot for the first time this season at North Shore on Saturday. That game showed that each fifteen its but a shadow of its former self. Even allowance is made for the fact that both teams were considerably below strength, the game revealed a poor standard of senior football. The students were 4 at least five regular players, owing 0 the vacation, but the usual fifteen will „ next Saturday. North Shore TJ T y*} UT p!a r r3 > >• Was o- ~J? lomon > the captain, whose loss ■died amT'S 8 Cne "., father recently TartttZSS? A.T2S X h .